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The Rail Report NCDOT Rail Division

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The Rail Report NCDOT Rail Division North Carolina’s Amtrak ncbytrain.org The Rail Report NCDOT Rail Division July 2014 NCDOT Takes Rail Safety Message to Gibsonville Educational effort part of International Level Crossing Awareness Day The NCDOT’s BeRailSafe program, along with the Gibsonville Police Rail Safety Tips Department, North For Motorists: Carolina Highway Patrol • Always stop your vehicle when crossing gates are down or and the Guilford County lights are flashing. Wait for the crossing gates to rise and lights to Sheriff’s Office, spoke to stop flashing. Look both ways, listen and proceed with caution. a number of Gibsonville For your safety, obey all signs and signals at railroad crossings. motorists about railroad • Never stop your car on railroad tracks. When approaching an safety on June 3rd intersection at railroad tracks, keep your car behind the white as part of a ‘Crossing lines. Blitz’ conducted at • If your car stalls while crossing the tracks, get out immediately railroad crossings along and call 911 or the emergency notification number located on Springwood Ave. the railroad signal equipment. If a train is coming - abandon the More than 800 tip car! Proceed quickly toward the train at a 45 degree angle so that sheets emphasizing the importance of staying safe near railroad if the train strikes your car you will be safe from flying debris. tracks were distributed to passing motorists as part of the two- • Be aware that trains may operate any time throughout the day hour operation. and night in either direction. The crossing blitz was conducted in conjunction with International Level For Pedestrians: Crossing Awareness Day, a global initiative held to educate the • Never walk or run on railroad tracks. Remember: “Tracks are for public about rail safety. trains. Stay away and stay alive.” Crossing blitzes are held periodically across the state in an effort • Walking on or near railroad tracks is dangerous - and illegal. to combat vehicular and trespasser deaths. In 2014, 23 people Trains in North Carolina operate up to 79 miles per hour and can have been injured or killed by trains while trespassing or driving a take more than a mile to come to a complete stop. Also, tracks vehicle on railroad tracks. Recently, a pedestrian in Gibsonville was are on private property; you risk being cited for trespassing. struck and killed by a passing train while walking on the tracks. • Do not cycle or operate all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) on railroad NC Piedmont Train Displayed at Streamliner tracks or railroad rights of way. Event at the N.C. Transportation Museum • Do not hunt, fish or bungee jump from railroad trestles. They Spencer Railroad Festival attendees were able to see the are not designed to be sidewalks - there is only enough clearance Piedmont train set first hand May 29-June 1. The 1755 City of for a train to pass. Salisbury F-59 locomotive, the 64-seat Scotch Bonnet coach, the 56-seat Carolina Lily coach and the Currituck Sound • Always look both ways before crossing railroad tracks and Baggage/Lounge car were on display. The Rail Division cross only in designated areas. Customer Service Team and BeRailSafe staff members were • Do not cross tracks when gates are down. on hand to answer NC Passenger service questions, hand out Rail Safety materials and promote NCDOT’s Rail Safety • Be aware that trains may operate any time throughout the day Awareness Training for First Responders. and night in either direction. NIGHT TRAINS As many people are winding down for the day, second shift crews are just getting started at NCDOT’s Capital Yard Rail Car Maintenance Facility. Piedmont Train 74 rolls into the yard at 3:30 p.m. from Charlotte, and is tackled by a mechanical crew that takes the locomotives and coaches through detailed mandatory Federal Railroad Administration “calendar day” inspections. This checklist covers everything from major mechanical or electrical inspections/ repairs to making sure the toilet system works properly. While the mechanical work is underway, a cleaning crew begins work on the interior of the passenger coaches, cleaning each one from top to bottom. The exterior of the train is hand washed to remove the corrosive grime that builds up on its round-trip between Raleigh and Charlotte. When Train 76 pulls in from Charlotte at 9:15 p.m., a third shift crew begins the same process for this train set. In addition to the calendar day inspection, sanders are filled for better adhesion of wheels to tracks, air brakes and horns are checked, and sewage from the day is dumped. If a coach or locomotive has developed a mechanical problem that can’t be corrected during the shift, it is pulled from the train set. By 3:00 a.m., the crews receive final ticket data from Amtrak. With just a few hours left before the departure of Train 73, coaches are added or taken off the train set, based on ticket sales plus the extra seats needed for NCDOT’s popular NCMultiRider program that allows passengers to walk up and board the train without reservations. (continued on next page) First shift mechanical crews have their own list of things to do, tackling major maintenance/mechanical projects as well as the cycle of federally-mandated inspections of locomotives and coaches that are above and beyond the “calendar day” inspections. These inspections are required every 90, 180, 360, 720, 1080 and 1460 days and each inspection is more intense than the last. They also do test equipment installation for projects such as the ongoing biodiesel testing with North Carolina State University and inspect, maintain and repair the facility and equipment used in the maintenance of the train equipment. Maintenance of the Piedmont equipment, which takes place on the hill above the busy northbound Capital Boulevard, is a 24-seven, 365-day a year operation covered by 21 Rail Plan employees over three shifts. NCDOT’s Capital Yard never sleeps, but we hope that our passengers can, knowing that these dedicated crews have done everything possible to ensure that they have a safe and comfortable trip onboard North Carolina’s Amtrak. Ridership & Revenue on NC’s Amtrak Service – April 2014 vs. 2013 RIDERSHIP REVENUE 2014 2013 % +/- 2014 2013 % +/- Piedmont 14,353 14,161 1% $291,984 $274,727 6% Carolinian 27,774 26,590 4% $1,690,553 $1,559,655 8% Expanding Motor Coach service connects Communities Beyond the Reach of Current Rail Lines and Stations to Passenger Train Service Soon after the inaugural of the Piedmont service in 1995, a bus route Currituck Alleghany Camden Vance Northampton Granville Gates was established connecting downtownAshe Winston-SalemSurry to the High Warren Pasquotank Stokes Rockingham Caswell Person Perquimans Hertford Burlington Halifax Chowan Watauga Alamance Point Train Station. In April 2012, Amtrak added two new thruway Durham Wilkes Yadkin Orange Mitchell Forsyth Durham Winston-Salem Guilford Franklin Bertie bus service routes, (shownAvery right) providing expanded transportationGreensboro Caldwell Alexander Davie Nash Kids 2-12 ride for $5 Madison Yancey Raleigh Edgecombe Davidson High Point Rocky MountMartin Tyrrell options for residents of Eastern North IredellCarolina. Both routes connect to Wake Washington Dare Chatham Cary Burke Randolph WilsonWilson with full adult fare on Amtrak’s PalmettoBuncombe serviceMcDowell at theCatawba train stationRowan in Wilson have more than Pitt Haywood Salisbury Selma Greenville Beaufort Hyde Swain Johnston Tuesdays, Wednesdays Rutherford Lincoln Mecklenburg Lee Greene 1,000 riders a month. Ridership for the routes was upMontgomery 630 over April of Goldsboro Graham CabarrusKannapolis Harnett Henderson Jackson Gaston Stanly Moore Wayne 2013. Cities served byPolk theGastonia routesCleveland are Greenville, New Bern,Southern Havelock, Lenoir Craven and Thursdays within Cherokee Macon Charlotte Kinston New Clay Transylvania Pines Cumberland Bern Pamlico Morehead City, Goldsboro, Kinston, Jacksonville and Wilmington.Richmond Hoke Jones North Carolina. Union AnsonHamlet FayettevilleSampson Duplin Havelock Carteret The Rail Division has applied for a Federal TIGER multi-modal service OnslowMorehead City Offer good for travel Scotland Jacksonville Robeson planningTrains grant 73, 74, to 75, investigate 76 feasibility of more motorcoach and Bladen June 3 – August 28. Amtrak Thru-Trains Pender transitTrains connections. 79, 80* The grant will identify(Palmetto, efficient Silver Meteor connections to Use fare code V812 when and Silver Star) the PiedmontNC Amtrak and Connector Carolinian services. Routes that meet utilization Columbus New PART Route 5 Amtrak Thruway Hanover buying your ticket. WilmingtonBrunswick requirements and are deemed financiallyBus Service*** sustainable will be pursued Seating is limited. Advance as options for expanding the reach of passenger service to new reservations required. Not communities and funding is available. valid with other offers. Piedmont Improvement Program – May 2014 Status Report Let date: Sept. 2014 McLeansville Burlington McLeansville Rd. (HGS) Burlington Station Graham to Haw River Platform Extension Graham to Haw River RR Improvements High Point (G,PS,H) High Point Station Parking Durham to Morrisville Lot & Slope Stabilization Hopson Rd. Grade Separation & RR Improvement (RGS,G,H,PS) Thomasville to Lexington Burlington Haw River Thomasville to Lexington RR Improvements (G,SX,DT) Greensboro Graham Upper Lake Rd. (HGS) McLeansville Durham Turner Rd. (HGS) GUILFORD ALAMANCE High Point ORANGE Linwood DURHAM Duke Curve (G) WAKE Thomasville Morrisville Lexington RANDOLPH Cary Raleigh DAVIDSON Cary ROWAN Morrisville Parkway Kannapolis Salisbury (G,RGS,H) Kannapolis Station Canopy Cary Depot Expansion Let date: TBD Kannapolis Raleigh Let date: TBD Raleigh Union Station Salisbury to Kannapolis Charlotte CABARRUS Klumac Rd. (RGS) Capital Yard Maintenance Charlotte Facility Improvements Locomotive Harrisburg Salisbury to Kannapolis RR Improvements (G,RGS,H,DT) Peeler Rd. (HGS) and Rail Car Project Status Key: Maintenance DT Double Track Construction Facility Charlotte Harrisburg to Charlotte Underway PS Passing Siding Harrisburg to Charlotte RR Improvements (G,RGS,SX,DT) RGS Grade Separation, RR over HWY MECKLENBURG HGS Grade Separation, HWY over RR Pharr Mill Rd.
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